Dawn Shatter

And so it came to pass that the Land of Anduris was saved in its twilight hour by the Stormwall Alliance, suffering heavy losses but maintaining their strength in spirit. In accordance with their wishes, the God Squad departed this world and left not a trace behind. Their tale became legend, then myth, then like so many things in the analog of history – they were ultimately forgotten.

However the downside of being forgotten is that the lessons learned also seem to fade over time as well. And humans – being such a short lived species – tend to forget even quicker. So in a mere 200 years after the Battle of the Black City, as the former Wastelands have become the lush and green Forbidden Valley, is it any surprise that it was a human that ignored all the warnings and ventured down into the darkness? Well, they do say a Son of Stormwall has Adventure in his blood.

What would he find in the shadows of the forests? Would there be forgotten terrors? He had heard the stories of massive spiders with dark elves fused at the torso, or of dwarves that had fire for beards. Even that the King Who Crawls would depart from his tunnels and roam the forest seeking wayward wanderers to ensnare and lock away in his subterranean prison.

But he found none of that. He found forest. Nothing else. So this human – a man in stature, but a boy in heart – wandered deeper into the forbidden lands. For days and days he ventured onward until the trees became like metal and the leaves as sharp as swords. It was there that he found something different – something new. Ruins, forged of black stone and engraved with ancient words that he would never hope to understand. Surely some magnificent treasure would lie here somewhere?

Help me! Free me!

The words echoed through his mind. So clear and loud that they gave him a headache. “Where are you?” the boy cried.

Beneath the throne. Forgotten by time. Free me. Free me and we shall change the world.

Beneath a throne? This could be no person. No person speaks through the mind. Not in Anduris at least. The boy had heard legends of powerful magical artifacts that could speak. His grandfather told him once of a crazy drunken dwarf paladin that swore there was a devil trapped inside a glove once. Maybe this was one such artifact!

So the human boy rushed about the ruins seeking a throne. And low and behold and a small raised platform covered in vines and moss, was one. A black throne untouched by the encroaching vegetation. The boy launched at the throne. Pushing with all his might. But it would not budge. He gathered his strength once more and pushed again. This time a slight shift. One final time, the boy backed up into the wood and charged the throne at full strength and slammed into with everything he had. And it toppled.

There beneath the throne was a small linen wrapped object. The boy – the human – unwrapped slowly. Beneath it was a tome bound in a worn leather covered, embossed and gilted with an illustration of a sun on the front. He began to flip through the book, strange writing. Similar to that on the stone. But slowly it began to shift and change. The words became common. The rituals began to make sense. And the human – so adventurous, so bold, so foolish – his eyes turned completely black.

Part 2: The White King

The battle against the White King was brutal as anyone could have expected. Blasting out beams from each of the eye stalk tentacles growing from his back, the King controlled most of the fight. The heroes however got a number of great strikes in and eventually caused his luminescent white robes to shatter like glass revealing another form below.

This form was a hideous shadowy beastial form with four arms. Slinging dark spells, and daggers formed from chaotic energies, the creature known as the White King continued his assault. Still, the heroes proved resilient and though the battle drained them they finally dropped the White King to the ground.

As the body of the King lay on the cold stone, the heroes felt a sense of satisfaction. One that quickly turned to panic as the very earth began to shake. The black shadowy form of the White King began to peel away in strands and tentacles up into the sky where it formed into a writhing orb of darkness, covered in nightmarish eyes bearing the spiral symbol of the Dawn and the Elder Elemental Eye. The ground broke apart and launched into the air, the heroes desperately held on and found themselves orbiting the massive monster that called itself SOTH-RAGOT, the Elder Elemental Eye.

The final stretch tested every measure of the heroes’ endurance, as the massive orb grabbed them and burnt their flesh with acidic oozings, torturing them within inches of death. However Ashweaver the Chaosbane, the sword James ‘Rusty’ Al-Kemit was born to wield, piercing the creatures form and brought about it’s ultimate destruction. The heroes descended and finally sealed the gateway using the Key.

With the immediate threat dealt with, the heroes noticed that the ‘chain’ of the world was nearly completely snapped. Wondering if there was any way to fix it, a voice rang out telling them there was. Mortekan (aka Mordenkainen) had arrived, along with the Crimson Wartide. He explained that the Wartide was created in order to protect Rusty and ensure he made it to this day. Rusty demanded to know what made him so special. Mortekan explained that Rusty was the ultimate product of elaborate project to breed a ‘sacrifice’ whose soul would bind this final chain together in order to stop it from ever breaking and freeing what lies in the depths of the Abyss. All Rusty had to do was die in order to eternally protect all of reality.

However, Void – now returned to his true body that was stolen by the White King – reappeared stating that he believed that the heroes were strong enough that a sacrifice was not necessary. That they could venture out into the Planes and crush the forces of the Abyss wherever they appeared, take the fight to them, and end this once and for all. Mortekan argued that a sure thing was better than taking the risk, but the heroes agreed with Void.

Mortekan, furious to have his plans betray him in the final hour, cursed the heroes. Blaming them for the inevitable destruction of reality. Void tore a hole in space and time and invited them inside. When asked about the fate of their friends, Void did not answer. They all went inside the portal, but Rusty had one request: That they be forgotten. That this tale never become the legend. That the world just forgets what happened this day and that the Gods Squad are never seen by history as heroes. Namely because he wanted to piss off his Dad’s spirit. Void acknowledge the request and the party ventured out to their next great adventure…

Years later, as the neighboring kingdoms of Stormwall and Camnir bicker over the remaining resources of the land now that the threat of Haivar had been stilled, a dwarf paladin gathered in a tavern with a tiefling woman and an one eyed orc seer. Every year they met here to see if anyone had seen the one’s they once called friends. Those unsung heroes that once commanded an airship over the skies of Anduris in an attempt to prevent the end of the world. They all sadly say no. There has been no sight of the Gods Squad since the Battle of the Black City. Lenny makes a passing mention to Hafston wondering if their friends had truly succeeded that day, that maybe they perished and failed. Haffston shook his head and said he didn’t believe it. He gives a smile to his drinking parnters and says:

Part 1: Beneath the Black Stone

The heroes descended down into the sewers beneath the Black City. There they found a twisting, winding series of tunnels flooded with various raw elemental forces: lightning, fire, mercury, water. Following the various tunnels, they found the source of the lightning: a primordial heart. Namely, the heart that was placed in the Dawn Knight Zavris. They reached out the reclaim and found that once they did, the river of lightning halted and the other elements began to overtake the paths once used by lightning.

They continued to try to find the other hearts, following the water path down into a small dropped off area where not a heart awaited them – but Ataqir! Ataqir, the Dawn Knight of Ice, who orchestrated the death of every person in Stormwall at the beginning of their adventure. The time for this final confrontation had come. The heroes jumped down and engaged, cutting their way through the Dawn Knights. All through the battle, Ataqir continued to elude to Rusty’s ‘true purpose’ and how it ran counter of Ataqir’s goal of removing evil from the universe by destroying everything (The thought being that as long as something exists, evil will exist with it.)

Finally, the party vanquished the final Dawn Knight. But no sooner than finishing a short rest do the heroes feel themselves being pulled upwards. The ceiling breaks open and they are flung up through the stone to find the White King holding them in the air. With the slightest twitch of his finger, the White King demonstrates his ability to choke the party. He tells him that he tires of their intervention, that his plan is almost complete, and that there is very little they can do now.

However, Rusty unsheathes his mighty blade – the Chaosbane – and uses it to weaken the White King. As soon as they could move slightly, Matisse launched a spell to banish the White King to another dimension momentarily. Using this time to try to close the gateway to the Abyss using the key of iggwilv and set up a trap for the White King, however as Alethia rushed to close the gate a giant black tentacle burst from the ground in front of her, followed by more that created a perimeter around the party. From beneath the ground arose the White King, now with a new horrific appearance of giant clawed hands, gnashing teeth beneath his hood, and black tentacles coming out of his back with white eyes at the end.

The heroes arrived in their former home town of Stormwall to find that it was now refashioned in a massive fortress. Inside they met in the war room with the other leaders of the Kran, the Crimson Wartide, the Haivar People’s Milita, the Tyjar elves and the Falston army. Deciding that since the 333 souls had already been sacrificed, a full out assault was their best option. However, while the assault was waged the party would be able to infiltrate a small sewer entrance in a river of pure lightning.

The heroes stepped out and gave a last rousing speech to their forces as they began to head out. Many realizing it would be the last time they saw home. The armies marched down the hills of Wyrshan and across the rot that had claimed most of the Falston Fields. From their they descended into the Wasteland proper and began their assault. The heroes took their positions as leaders, guiding their troops through the hazardous and deadly environment, combating primordials and elemental titans that roamed the land, but their skills were not prepared for the sheer horrors of the wastes. Only two thirds of their forces arrived at the Black City when the journey was over.

Even worse, a small army of nightmarish monsters awaited them at the gates. Formulating a plan involving the razor bladed metallic trees they had just run through, they were going to lure the army in their and unleashed traps and use the environment to attack their foes. All the while, the heroes would sneak through the sewer. They used what wizards they could to create a massive illusary wall in front of the trees, that while rushed and imperfect was enough that only upon too close to make much of a difference would the monsters be able to tell what was there. Then a group rode out to provoke the monsters and lure them back. And to the surprise of most, it all worked. And in the bloody battle of the beasts of the Black City against what remained of the Stormwall Alliance, the heroes made their way into the Black City.

Part 2: Trapped in the Free City

Thanks to Shanraa’s manipulations of the Defilers, the party found themselves in the city of Tyr. The first matter that had to be dealt with was their appearance. Regardless of their intent, wandering around a city that hates arcane magic with donkey heads was bound to cause problems. The heroes attempted to craft disguises for themselves.

Once their disguises were set, they took to the alleys trying to make it to the central ziggurat. And while their disguises and stealthy movements helped them avoid the crowds and the templars, they did not elude everyone. The party soon found that they were being followed – by a Preserver!

Preservers were the counter to the Defilers. They believed in finding ways to use arcane power without destroying the world and defiling their bodies. They too sought something inside the ziggurat and made a pact with the party to help each other out.

While the preservers distracted the templars, the party and a chosen member of the preservers snuck inside the now abandoned ziggurat to find some information. They found a massive library, with a mural that depicting the ancient coming of the grey age when the ‘Great Serpent’ came and created the first of the defilers – the Sorcerer Kings. That they used a dark ritual by sacrificing 333 souls to break the ‘great chain’ that ultimately began to kill the world and have it rot away to the sandy wasteland it had become. The heroes saw this and made the connection to the strange ‘Army of 333’ they had heard about in their world, and new exactly what was coming now. The Army of 333 wasn’t a military force… they were a sacrifice!

Rushing to the top of the ziggurat and into the throne room, the heroes opened yet another gateway. The angel reappeared once more, but the heroes were ready for her this time. Calling her out, she revealed herself to the Malicel, the winged creature that had stolen the elemental heart from Zavris in Haivar. And even more of a revelation, Matisse finally put the clues together that Malicel was in fact Camille Veroux – his mother turned monster.

The battle was quick and bloody, Matisse burned his mother to a crisp with his weakened holy might and claimed her brooch, a powerful holy symbol, from her charred remains. Now free of Malicel’s influence, the party entered the portal not to find a massive path full of doors but 12. Twelve doors. All brimming with black light except one. One door was filled with a bright white light. They only hoped that it was the one that would lead them home. They stepped through…

…And appeared in a bar at Forest’s End to the resounding laughter of Haffston Brewsmelter. They had made it home. They found their old crew waiting for them. They got them cured of their donkey heads, and explained that while the heroes had been gone, a whole 6 months, they finished the mission to the last few temples themselves. Haffston had become a paladin of Muradin, and the Raven Queen had granted them the foresight to see when and where the party would return. Now they were gathering up their armies to go to the Stormwall Fortress, and were just waiting on Lenny and Qiton to return with news from Camnir.

However, it is only Lenny that arrives. She reveals that the Army of 333 were assaulting Camnir when they arrived and being led by Nahrees, the Dawn Knight of Earth. Qiton, wanting revenge for the destruction of the Gray Flame, told Lenny to get inside during the commotion and charged in. He fought against Nahrees alone, and in the end they ended up finishing each other off. With the leader now gone, Camnir’s forces quickly slaughtered the Army of 333 in a completely and utter victory, but also sent word that they would not be joining the assault on the Black City.

The heroes were puzzled about this. They had helped the revolution in exchange for their army’s aid. Why would they deny them? However, the now human Shanraa had the answer. Not only had she become a human from a half-orc but her entire history had been re-written by the forces of chaos to match. She was the daughter of a Camnir noble who helped re-establish ‘proper’ order after the revolution for a ‘free Camnir’ proved unsustainable. Now the city was led by a proper council and much was back as it was before the revolt.

Disheartened by the lack of support from Camnir, the heroes decided that in Qiton’s memory they would still march on the Black City with whatever they had. Haffston led them to their horses and they rode toward Stormwall.

Part 1: The Desert

Athas, a strange merciless desert world damned by magic. How is it that they heroes could have ended up here? Was the angel false? Was this a trick? They were stranded here now to search for another Ley Line to open a gate way back home with the Key of Iggwilv. Their best bet lie toward the city of Tyr. A ‘Free City’ mentioned by the wandering merchants (who may have also possible dabbled in slave trading).

For days the party ventured across the grueling desert. The days were scorching and the nights freezing. Matisse caught ill with the desert sickness. Attackers and threats were eluded. But it was when faced with the choice to somehow breach a chasm toward the city, or venture through the caves in the mountains to the other side did their adventure take a turn for the worse.

In the caves they met the Sons of Tyr, a cult of ‘Defilers’: practitioners of arcane magic that steal life from the earth and from others to power their own abilities. Misshapen and deformed, they fled the city of Tyr after their beloved Sorcerer King was destroyed. However, for the party they noticed something else. That the emblem of the Sons of Tyr bore a striking resemblance to that of the symbol of the Elder Elemental Eye… and the Dawn.

However, through cunning and perseverance (using their Donkey Heads to convince them that they too were powerful defilers) the party not only found out that at the seat of the Sorcerer king’s power – the throne room of his ziggurat – was a concentration of ley lines but also convinced them to lead them into the city of Tyr through a secret tunnel to the markets.

While it was unclear whether or not this was a trap, the party ventured on and found that the evil creatures were indeed good on their word and led the party into the City of Tyr.

Part 2: The Temple of Elemental Evil

The heroes ventured into the wilds of the kingdom of Greyhawk until they encountered a massive dark temple – the fabled Temple of Elemental Evil. Following the path of Arnd, Iggwilv, and Mordenkainen before them, they ventured deep into the temple.

They faced horrors and challenges unlike anything they faced back in the home world. They made pacts and bargains to gain the favor of fallen primordials to help forge the Key of Iggwilv. Alethia was freed of her magical addiction by being purged of all ‘temptation’ destroying her wealth of magical artifacts save for her father’s heirloom wand. Shanraa changed not only her face but also her history by becoming human instead of a half orc. Matisse sacrificed his mother’s sword. Malcolm was put to task as a test subject to find a safe passage through a series of cursed doors after they poxed the party with donkey heads.

However, in the end the party forged the Key, and sought to flee the dread temple back home. They fled to the surface and used it to open a gate just as a monsterous abyssal plague infected skeleton knight version of the once proud Sir Arnd appeared at the gates. From the gate appeared an angel who offered them guidance to a portal that would send them home. Believing the being’s words, they followed her through the portal to escape Arnd the Damned.

The angel led them down a path of light filled doors for what seemed like days or weeks – maybe longer – till she stopped at a door and told them this was it. As the heroes walked into the door, Matisse caught glimpse of something from the corner of his eye – the angel worse his mother’s beloved brooch!

As the party tumbled through the doorway, they found themselves crashing on the dry desert sands. Confused as this locale was not familiar to them in the least, they found a wandering caravan manned by a stout bald man and a large insectoid creature who explained to them that they were not in their home world – they were in a land called Athas.

Part 1: The Town of Hommlet

The party found themselves in an eerie dark world where the cracked earth glowed with a deep crimson light and the sky only momentarily illuminated by flashes of red lightning. They wandered into the town of Hommlet only to find it barren and empty. Using whatever illumination they could, they explored the town in an attempt to figure out what was going on.

They discovered the Elder’s Home, where they found charts and books marking off plants and wildlife in the area, many crossed out. They found the log of the town’s recent history which made references to the “Cult of the New Day” which built a temple between the towns of Hommlet and Nulb. It also makes references to the areas around the temple and Hommlet becoming greener and greener in the face of a drought while surrounding areas got worse and worse. Finally, the log made mention of the Lord-Mayor of the Free City of Greyhawk was sending a special envoy to the town and to the temple to investigate.

The party then visited the inn. Here they found the first sign of what was once life. The Inn was covered in skeletons. Some investigation bears a few things, that there is puddle of red liquid lined with silver veins on the ground – a similar sight to the party from the strange liquid in Haivar – and the last few names on the guestbook: Mordenkainen, Iggwilv, and Sir Arnd. While leaving, the party heard something and when they investigated they were attacked by a group of massive demonic creatures that looked like the things being created in the caverns below Haivar. They defeated them but Rusty and Alethia were infected with whatever that liquid is causing boils to start spreading across their bodies from the wounds.

Finally, they investigated the town Church, devoted to what seemed like a monotheistic belief in a deity of light. The church was charred and burned, full of skeletons that were burnt. At the altar there was a burned markings of a circle bearing the symbols of the four elements, and the wall had carved the letters A R N in it. The group contemplated the possibility that the knight Sir Arnd mentioned in the Inn and assumed to be part of the envoy from Greyhawk, had destroyed the church for some reason.

Finally, after investigating, the party left to follow the road to the Temple. Ahead of them on the road appeared to be a spectral apparitions of two men, one in armor, and a woman walking ahead of them. No matter what they couldn’t catch up, and when they stopped the image seemed to continue to keep walking but never going forward…

The Warriors Need Saving? Time for the God Squad!

The City of Kranok

- Party traveled to Kranok.
- They found that the city of Kranok was empty, and in ruin. When they eventually found someone they discovered they were frozen in ice.
- That’s when they were contacted by the survivors, led by the son of the Kran chieftan: Kodur Shatel. He explained that the Dawn and the Ogmars that dwell in the hills (a clan of giants and ettins) simultaneously assaulted the village and hauled off the majority of the town’s people. Kodur tried to save all the women, children and elderly he could into the underground caves.
- In the caves, the party also met Jol Boronak. An Orc seer with one blind eye that sees visions of the future. Despite some initial confrontations with the half-orc, Shanraa. Jol explained that he had foretold of the party’s arrival – but it was to occur before the Ogmar’s attacked.
- The party, wanting to help and recruit the warriors of the Kran, offered assistance. Kodur explained that the best chance was to find where the prisoners had been taken in the Sacred City of Rothane in the mountains. Also that a sacred relic of the Kran, the Tear of Shadows, could be used to free the frozen warriors.
- Armed with a destination in mind, the party set off up the mountains to the city of Rothane. Ordering the Gray Flame to stay on the other side of the mountain in case of an emergency escape.

The Sacred City of Rothane

- The ruined city was crawling with a large number of giants and ettin. The party decided to try to sneak in. While it proved to be difficult, an unfortunately useful distraction by Matisse causing an avalanche proved immensely useful in the task. Unfortunately it was not enough and the party found themselves surrounded.
- The battle was brutal, with more giants quickly en route, the party tried to make it to the entrance only to have themselves surrendering to the numerically and dimensionally advantageous giants. They party was then escorted into a large temple where a figure in a Dawn Robe quickly put them to sleep.
- The majority of the party awoke in a large crowded room full of the Kran prisoners. Mostly warriors and fighters with a few women and children and a single shifter that would cackle and mock the heroes attempts to figure a way out. Alethia examined markings around the room, while Malcolm and Matisse tried to figure out the best way to pick the lock.
- Rusty on the other hand was taken to the lower levels where he found himself awakened by the desecrated and dissected corpse of his father. Across from him was the Dawn Knight Ataqir, to his right the creature known as Malicel. Ataqir quizzed Rusty extensively on why Mortekan had so many notes on him as well as the entire lineage of the Al Kemit family line. He was inquiring to know why the White King viewed him and him alone as such a threat as to merit death and destruction to prevent resurrection. Rusty had no answers. So Malicel escorted him to the prison with the others to await execution. Malicel explained there was no hope for Rusty and his friends. Camnir and Haivar were on the chopping block as the Army of 333 began to move.
- After being reunited, the party began to work on a plan to escape. They discovered mentions of hidden passages, as well as a strange recollection of the Dawn War where a name that no one could recall was mysteriously vanished from the inscriptions.
- After breaking out, the party launched into action to attack a group of cultists in a temple who were worshiping an idol (thinking that the idol may be the Tear of Shadows). However, they forgot they did not have their weapons on them and began to try to attack without them. The party split, with the casters playing defense while the others tried to find the weapons in adjacent hallways. Ultimately bashing in a door, they found their gear and the fight began proper.
- The relic they found was actually a statue to Ogremoch, elemental prince of Earth. They began searching finding some other items, and then a few secret passages. One that led to the hallway where their weapons were stored, and the other downward into the darkness. They tried to descend into the darkness to find that it ended them up right in the middle of a group of cultists doing something to a large minotaur.
- The battle was fierce but the group came out on top. They found the tear of shadows that the cultists were using, and tried to use it to reverse the stone transformation of the minotaur, discovering it was the king of Kranok, Chieftan Bath’tel. Though because of the damage he received while in his stony form, his fleshy body could not sustain his life.
- The party then found a secret door leading out, likely the one Ataqir was using to come and go from the temple. They rounded up the remaining Kran from around the temple, placed the corpse of Bath’tel in the handy haversack, and then led them to safety.

Returning to Kranok

- The party returned to the city and led the people back. Kodur expressed doubts at the ability to lead his people in the wake of his fathers demise, but Rusty and the party reassured him that he could do this. He declared that the Kran would dedicate themselves to the cause of the God Squad.
- The Orc Seer, Jol Boronak, now reuinited with aide, Crisikana, the shifter from the temple, stated that it was now his place to join the crew of the Gray Flame. That he must aide the heroes in their final trials. That they would need him before the end.
- The group mentioned that for the safety of the Kran, Kodur should lead his people to the west through the Orc lands to the town of Stormwall where the magic would protect them till the time came.
- Finally, the party boarded the Gray Flame and decided to head to Camnir and lend a hand against the Army of 333. Alas, while en route the ship began to lurch. Qiton quickly diagnosed the problem as the ship’s engine was sabotaged. Likely by Nahrees while she was living below. As the sky turned dark and crackled with lightning, they ship plummeted towards the earth. Qiton trying desperately to steer it towards Calasin Lake by the town of Calashore.
- In the midst of the chaos, the White King appeared. Quite angry. He declared the party no longer a simple thorn but a threat to his plan. He decided to exile them to another world. And in a flash of black flames, the heroes were gone. Shock fell on Qiton and the rest of the crews face as Jol tried to usher them all back under to brace for impact…
- The party on the other hand found themselves in darkness. Rusty’s attempt to light up using his blessing from pelor to illuminate a lone sign on the cobblestone road: “WELCOME TO THETOWN OF HOMMLET”

Puzzles and Mystery Below Winterscorn

After meeting with Mortekan and deciding to head to the Temple of Learning in an attempt to perform a ritual to locate Baern, the party headed north to the Winterscorn Lakes. However, as they got closer to the supposed location of the Temple, Qiton explained that a massive snow storm covered the lakes and kept them permanently frozen. They set down the Gray Flame on the edge of the lakes and ventured into the snow on foot.

After wandering in the freezing cold for what seemed like hours, the party found a door. Just a door. Standing on its own in the blistering cold winds. The doorknob had the symbol of the Astral Pantheon carved into it, so the heroes took the leap of faith and opened it. Inside they found a warm and cozy room with four doors and a strangely behaving clock. The minute hand spun wildly out of control and the hour hand was firmly cemented on the number ‘2’. The party took a second to warm themselves up and then began to investigate. However almost every room they explored was identical to the first. The only exception being the direction the minute hand spun and which number the hour hand was on.

The riddle stumped the party for a good long while as they tried to experiment and test different interpretations of the clues they had been given. However, in the end it was lady luck that saved the day as they stumbled upon the exit that lead right into the temple of learning. Inside the temple they found a large circular room full of skeletal remains and a large steel door in the floor at the center of the room. The party deduced that they needed to find the keys to open that steel door, which was confirmed by a new friend: Sprite. A spirit bound the temple to aid visitors, although it appeared that his connection to the material plane was badly damaged. Sprite showed them around the temple, explaining that each of the keepers hid their key to the Chamber of the Gods in each of the gods’ rooms – the exception being Lolth whose room collapsed during the in-fighting between the worshippers after the gods’ influence was blocked by whatever creature was sealed below.

The party decided to venture into Corellon’s Studio first, at Matisse’s insistence. They found the decorated art studio to be magnificent if a bit dusty after decades of disuse. Matisse freshened the place up a bit and then the party began to examine the puzzle. A painting of a key on a platform. While the party saw the platform, there was no key. Other paintings depicted other objects from around the room on the platform. Deciphering the notes left with the paintings, the heroes figured out the correct order of objects to place on the platform before making the key appear.

They decided to venture into Vecna’s Vault next. The wet and dark well held many vaults that could only have objects placed in them but never taken out. At the bottom of the well, they found the key suspended in midair – however upon closer inspection they found that it wasn’t floating, it was suspended in the thick mass of a gelatinous cube. They tried to figure out the best way to avoid the cube while getting the key, but the room was designed to anticipate this and the stairs collapsed into a slide sending them all down into the pit. From there, Skeletons arose to battle the heroes along with the cube. But for each skeleton killed, a noxious dust filled the bottom of the well, making it harder and harder to breath. Ultimately, the party prevailed in defeating the cube and retrieving the second key.

Finally, they visited Ioun’s Library, where they found Mortekan wandering the stacks. He said he found a ritual that – although poorly transcribed – he thought would do the trick. He set off to the main hall to begin preparation for the ritual. The task for the key however was far more challenging. A chess puzzle compounded with a couple of riddles. The chess puzzle gave the party problems, but luckily some thought about the riddle gave them a clue to finding a key to open the chest and skip the chess puzzle lock. Claiming the last key they headed back to the main hall.

As the group assembled to open the door to the lower level they were stopped by a voice in the shadows – Void had returned but not alone. He brought a new ally, one he explained that had not been spied on for the past few months by Nahrees and thus giving them a wildcard in the war. He introudced the Half-Orc, Wryin Shanraa, a fighter and mercenary by trade. After the introductions were made, Void departed and the party descended into the darkness below.

In the Chamber of the Gods, the party found a room thick with black smoke. In the darkness, broke a sinister crimson grin and a pair of flaming eyes. The creature, who identified itself as one of the First – The Whisper That Screams – was happy to have new toys to play with and launched into battle. However, the heroes made quick work of her and her minions and freed the temple from its ancient corruption. The party was then free to greet the gods on their return.

The Gods were awe inspiring. Not only did Corellon bless his follower, Matisse, but he also began the process to raise the massive temple to the surface of the lake. The gods also asked if the heroes needed any aid, and the party requested knowledge of how to treat Malcolm’s ever increasing problem with becoming a nightmarish monster. The only one who could provide such answers would be the God of Secrets and the Undead, Vecna, but he refused to trade a secret for nothing. So Alethia decided to sacrifice the knowledge of the Star Walker or God who journeyed to the Living Gate and became the Not-Star-Walker to Vecna, erasing the knowledge from the world. In exchange, Vecna explained that the devils are immune to the corruption of the Abyss and their power can be used to overcome such corruption. Vecna told the party to seek out the God of Tyranny, and King of the Devils, Asmodeus in the Temple of Law.

However, their chance for saving Malcolm came much sooner than expected. When they had returned to the main hall, Mortekan was prepared for the ritual. But as they began to cast it, Mortekan realized that they had made a dire mistake. Instead of showing the location of Baern, it would summon him to THEIR location. Baern appeared in his broken mental state, and realizing the party was there he demanded the book once again. The party denied his request, and Malcolm demanded the DevilBlade from him. This only served to make Baern angrier and ignite himself into his elemental form. However, since the party were in a dome made of ice, it began to melt and flood the room with water. The party leaped into action and try to take down Baern as quickly as possible with the ever encroaching water making the situation more and more dire. Luckily, Baern was defeated although not easily. The water poured out from the main door to the temple as the building burst forth back into the surface world.

But it wasn’t over. Malcolm dashed for the gauntlet on Baern’s hand, ripping it off and trying to place it on his own. The entire party immediately tried to stop him and pulled him back from the devilblade. Malcolm raged, demanding to let him have it and that it was the only way to save himself. The party reminded him that while that was true, that Vecna warned them to be careful with the bargain because Devils are known for using anything you give them. They realized they had to figure out what kind of deal to make first. After discussing it, they allowed Malcolm to put on the Devilblade gauntlet. It snapped into place on his arm and began to burn away all of his flesh, replacing it by growing a liquid metal replacement in its place. Malcolm screamed in pain as his body was replaced with the new metallic one. After it took a moment, the new Malcolm stood up and took in a deep breath of air. A deep rumbling voice that was surely not Malcolm’s boomed out, “Freedom!” The party began to draw weapons when the body then announced his master, and Malcolm’s voice came back from beneath the metal face.

After some conversation, the living suit that now kept Malcolm alive and purified from the Abyssal corruption introduced itself as the devil Deodaryx, and that it had made a pact with Malcolm to purify him in exchange for a new host body to act from. Deodaryx was a devil of war, created to spill blood and claim souls during the battles between the Devils and the Demons. For a chance to kill again, he surrended the control of Malcolm’s body and his powers, and vowed to never bring harm to Malcolm’s friends. However, Malcolm neglected to deny him access to Malcolm’s mind, unleashing fonts of knowledge to the devil.

With Malcolm’s safety secured, the party then decided to complete their army and head for Kranok.

On the way north to the Temple of Learning, the ship was visited by a strange guest. A massive creature of pale stretched flesh, a tentacle arm, and no mouth. Though horrific, Matisse immediately recognized this as Mortekan, the ancient and powerful wizard that he, Malcolm and Rusty had met half a year ago in Magekeep Tower.

He started speaking to the party in a psychic broadcast that rang out in the minds of everyone on the ship, including the crew. This had to unfortunate side effect of freaking out the already on edge mercenaries as well as informing them that the party had been lying and Malcolm was very much alive. In order to stem this problem, Mortekan and the party decided to meet in a field down on the ground, far away from the crew.

They met in a field in the Wyrshann region, a few miles south of the ruined city of Falston. It was there that Mortekan decided to come clean with the party and catch them up on what was going on:

Their world was not the first to face a threat like this. In fact, they are the last. Each world in what Mortekan called ‘The Multiverse’ was once a copy of each other, but developed in different ways. Some were actually known to the part – such as fantastical places like the Feywild or Shadowfell. Mortekan explained that each of these worlds had been destroyed by the Elder Elemental Eye, and now it had set its sights on this world. The LAST world.

Even more dire was the fact that each world served as a ‘chain’ to bind an ancient and terrible horror at the depths on the Abyss in the Elemental Chaos. This ‘Chained God’ that went mad back during the days of the Dawn War was on the verge of being freed, as every world save this one had its chain ‘broken’. Mortekan explained that he knows this because he has traveled from plane to plane, universe to universe, to try and stop it from happening since it turns out it was he that unleashed it in the first place ages ago when he was still a simple human wizard who had set off on an adventure with his allies just outside the town of Hommlet in his home kingdom of Greyhawk .

He also talked about Void and the One in Darkness. The One in Darkness was once a god that was betrayed and destroyed at some point, and while the God’s territory in the Astral Sea was seized by its usurper, the god’s domain was not taken by another god. This domain – a dormant power – fell forgotten and into darkness where it seethed and became consumed by desires of revenge. It awakened as an entity of its own, not a god but a sentient form of power called the One in Darkness. It found Void, who was driven by revenge himself, and freed him from the White King. As it turned out Void was one of ‘The First’, the prototype Dawn Knights created by the White King upon his ascension into power created from those around him in the capital city at the time. In particular, Void was actually Emperor Alric Brelan – the last emperor of Anduris. The White King stole Alric’s body from him and bound his soul to a corpse for all time. This is where the One in Darkness found him, and gave him the freedom to seek his revenge and reclaim his body as the One’s servant.

Mortekan also spoke of Malcolm and his condition. Confirming that it was completely possible that the Devil Blade that Baern wore could be the solution to Malcolm’s problem. He explained that Baern went insane not because of the gauntlet, but because his mind was already fractured and held together by the influence of the White King. Once that influenced was severed, nothing was there to keep Baern’s psyche intact. He said that he might be able to piece together a ritual to track Baern if he had access to a library like the one at Skypierce Tower, or the Temple of Learning.

Finally, Mortekan discussed the crew of the Gray Flame. He revealed that Lenny was formerly an assassin, Qiton was exiled for murder, and Haffston was a con-man (not that anyone didn’t already suspect that of Haffston.) More importantly, he revealed that the very suspicious Senerah was actually Nahrees, Dawn Knight of Stone! That a Dawn Knight had been working with them for WEEKS now and had been watching them. She was also likely responsible for the death of Matthias Seerbane.

Armed with this knowledge, the heroes returned to the ship to face ‘Senerah’. But found a grissly sight. Nearly everyone on the ship had been slaughtered, their corpses shredded and strewn across the ship. They found Nahrees waiting for them, torturing Haffston, Qiton and Lenny. The heroes jumped into action and attacked, but upon being struck, she revealed that she had already gotten what she came for and dissolved into sand on the wind. The party freed the remaining crew, attended to their injuries, and cleaned the ship while searching for what Nahrees was talking about.

It was then they discovered that the body of Rusty’s father was missing.

Fearful of the repercussions of this, the party continued to the Temple of Learning.

After concluding business in Haivar, the crew set course for the nearby Tyjar Forest in an attempt to acquire the Astral Cipher said to be in possession of the elves there.

As they wandered into the massive woods, the party encountered the Dawn Knight Baern, who appeared to be going insane. He explained that he was free from the White King thanks to the Devil Blade he had acquired in Skypierce Tower and he was now free to complete his real mission. It was then he demanded the book from the heroes. The party tried to convince him to stand down, and that they were actually on the same side, but in his confusion he panicked and fled in a pillar of fire.

Shortly after their encounter with the Dawn Knight, the party happened upon the other inhabitants of the woods: A pack of werewolves. Confronted by their leader, Kolak, and his second in command, Rustfang, they explained that they were descended from a group of loggers that came into the forest and built the long forgotten Shardwood Keep. They believed their ancestors were cursed by the elves and turned into werewolves and now seek revenge on the elves. Driven further than ever before by the fact that now the Rot had creeped into the forest and corrupted not only the wildlife and trees, but the werewolves as well causing them to lose their fur and take on more aberrant appearances, they asked the parties help and promised a reward in return.

Finally, the party traveled south to Shroudtree, the ancestral camp of the Tyjar Elves. There they met with the Elders of the tribe, who explained that the werewolves were not cursed but that they had slowly been corrupted by the energy of the destroyed Feywild that seeped through the portal sustained by the Astral Cipher. However, it was this same portal that kept the Elves long lives intact and if it were closed – curing the werewolves – it would kill off the elves.

The elves also had a chip on their shoulders about the werewolves who had spent years killing and hunting them, the huntsmaster of the elves – Latharien – asked the party to do the opposite of what the werewolves wanted, open the portal completely, so that the elves would grow powerful on the fey power and be able to defend their home from werewolves, orcs, etc. The party took offense to this idea, insisting that a truce would be possible. The Elves cited that Eladrin like Alethia and Matisse wouldn’t know what a truce was, since it was the Eladrin that drove the other elven races out of the Feywild in the first place.

Left without a clear ally, the party had to find their way to the astral cipher themselves. Following the Fey energies to their source, they found An’ealur, the Breach in the Wood, an ancient cavern built into the roots of a tree that housed the Astral Cipher and the last gateway to the Feywild.

However, the cipher was not unguarded, and in an unfortunate twist Malcolm was killed by an Owlbear. However, Malcolm was resurrected quickly by the Seed of Rage placed in his chest by the White King and it turned Malcolm into a hideous monster propelled by seething rage. The creature known as Malcolm shredded the Owlbear, but the revelation dawned on him that with each blow of his newly formed claws he drained life from those closest to him. They knew now that a cure for the transformed Malcolm just leapt in priority.

Finally, the reached the chamber of the portal. The moment of decision came as the Cipher have to either be opened completely or sealed forever before removing the Cipher from its base. The party decided to open the portal, and empower the elves. However, after they did this Rustfang, second in command to the werewolves, sprung from the shadows. He had trailed them after killing Kolak, convinced that they would betray the wolves and now he had his proof. He and two others attacked the party, but he was defeated by Rusty teleporting the corrupted werewolf into the Feywild portal where was dragged into darkness by living razor vines that severed his arm. The battle was not without casualties on our heroes’ side though, as both Alethia and Matisse chose to draw on the corrupted powers of the Feywild portal and to increase their power but were left with an insatiable hunger for arcane power.

The party took the arm to give to Lenny to help with her ‘perfect blade’ and left the chamber. Upon exiting, they met with Latharien who thanked them for making the “right choice” and presented them with a magical flute from his tribe.

The party then had to figure out how to get the now monsterous Malcolm back on the ship. They devised a plan to make it look like he had died and brought the body back on board. They stowed him in the lower decks where Malcolm find a place to hide beneath the floor panels. Deciding that their best chance for finding a solution for Malcolm lied with hoping to make a deal with the sinister God of Secrets, Vecna, the party headed north toward the Temple of Learning.

As our heroes descended into The Haivarian Downs, and made their way to the once golden city of Haivar, they found that the shining reputation of the land of Pelor had become darkened. The walls of the city were lined with corpses and skeletons hung with the signs marking them as ‘heretics’, ornaments and monuments the Cult of the Dawn were raised across town, and even the once glorious holy tree of Pelor stood dying in the city square.

The party first and foremost sought answers as to what was going on. When the gods fell silently after the destruction of the Brelani Empire, the city of Haivar fell into despair without their patron god – Pelor. In their darkest hour, they turned to a new faith and joined the Dawn. Since then, Haivar became the primary recruitment grounds for the Dawn. This belief was only strengthened by the recent discovery of an ancient artifact in some ruins to the East. The tiefling who found it has become some what of a holy man to the Dawn worshipers who call him Prophet Ahn’ju.

However, their investigation turned up even more secrets. That something was being dispersed across the population through the air and water, causing large open wounds across people’s bodies that pulse with large blisters and crimson crystals. While trying to find the secret of whatever was causing this, the party also found Christof Volk, a member of The Crimson Wartide, an organization of master swordsman that were under the leadership of Rusty’s father. Christof was searching for Rusty’s father, who had been taken prisoner in a large cavern system beneath the city where the primary bulk of the Dawn’s forces were situated.

The heroes assembled to break into the underground caverns during the large ‘cleansing,’ The Festival of Purification. Using a large portal summoned under the guise of large flame, they broke into the secret installation to find dozens of people trapped in cages. After freeing the prisoners and brilliantly throwing a number of guards out by reversing the portal, they began to explore. Deep inside the tunnels, they found an ancient temple devoted to the Dawn with a gateway filled with the miasma of the Wastes, possibly leading into the dead lands. They also found a laboratory where a crimson liquid was being used, and witnessing as it caused the strange crystal growths they had seen on the towns people above grow and twist until erupting and breaking the test subjects apart and turning them into nightmarish creatures.

Finally, they found the heart of the complex, where the leader of Haivar, Lord Thaarlas Diromar, awaited them with his guardian, Xyn. While Diromar spouted off veiled threats, Alethia leapt into action and cast a spell of Instant Friendship on the Lord. His mind confused and bent into unwilling allying himself with the heroes, we revealed that they had been dispersing a watered down version of the crimson liquid they had seen in the labs into the air via incense and through the city’s water supply. However, they were only able to question him shortly before they were interrupted by a ghostly visage of the White King himself.

The White King offered the heroes a way out, to transport them and their loved ones to another world where they would happily live out the rest of their years in peace in exchange for turning over the fate of Anduris and this world to him. The heroes declined, to which the White King declared then he had no choice to levy the full force of his armies against them. Using his control over the Seed of Rage that lie within Malcolm’s chest, he forced Malcolm to kill Diromar. Then the city began to shake, as the entire underground complex was torn apart by a massive tornado. The party was lifted up and flung into the air, landing on a chunk of earth where they found the Dawn Knight of Storms, Zavris.

They battled Zavris, leaping across stones and flinging themselves about in the winds, finally Alethia landed the killing blow with a magic missile. Upon his defeat, Alethia gained his Wand of Wonder, which imparted some his memories to her where she learned that Zavris was once her father, Sizvar Damodred. Then a strange woman with massive bat like wings and veiled in cloth appeared and tore a hole into Zavris’ body, ripping out a pulsing stone that sparked with lightning. She wished the heroes a good fall as she flew off and the tornado dissipated, leaving the land mass they had fought on plummeting to the earth.

Luckily, they were caught by the crew of the Grey Flame, who were fetched by Senerah. They whisked the party back down to the city, where the people clamored around declaring them their savior. Rusty, glowing with Pelor’s light, declared that their patron had not forgotten them! And they continued to cheer and wished to know what to call the heroes. They announced that they shall be known to the people of Anduris as “The God Squad”. The reaction was mixed, but the people accepted it.

But their business was not done. Rusty immediately launched an expedition to find his father in the collapsed tunnels. They did find him, but found that he had been crushed by debris and had only a short time left. In his dying moments, Rusty’s father declared Rusty the new leader of the Crimson Wartide. After a moment of silence, Rusty issued his first command to Christof, ordering him to rally the members of the Wartide for battle against the White King and his forces. They then cast gentle repose on Rusty’s father and took the body back to the Grey Flame where Lenny built him a coffin.

After a solemn evening, they convened with the crew to decide their next course of action. They set their sights on Tyjar Forest to find the final piece of the Key of Iggwilv – The Astral Cipher.

Remembering Recent Adventures...

A summary of what has recently happened…

Faced with the ever encroaching apocalyptic fate that the cult known simply as The Dawn wishes to bring upon the world, the heroes have set off across the land of Anduris to complete the goals set forth by the ancient and powerful wizard known only as Mortekan. They have been working to gather an army, recruiting both the military of the city of Camnir and the remnants of the Falston militia. They have also begun work to re-open the gateways to the Astral Sea that have blocked the influence of the gods of both the Astral Pantheon and the Black Council, beginning with the Temple of Nature that resided in the hollow center of the massive mountain of Felost Peak. The group now turns their eyes to the conquered city of Haivar, a once proud center of worship to the sun god Pelor, this city has come under control of the Dawn Cult. Our heroes have arrived the morning of the Purification Festival – some unknown celebration of the Dawn’s ideals to remake the world.

Our heroes have not been without their own conflicts as well. Recently, the Vecna worshipping servant Mathias Seerbane was found to have gone insane and allegedly tried to cut out his own tongue after looking at the strange markings inside the Dawn Codex, a book of supposedly powerful rituals once used by the White King himself. He was subdued and tied down, then gave the group an enigmatic revelation “The book is not itself”. While pondering the meaning of this, the group was visited by a distraught Void. Who is slowly losing himself as every ounce of his plan begins to unravel in front of him. He revealed that the this group of descendents of the bloodline of Oreyn Nerath are not his first attempt to subdue the Dawn and the White King. That he has reasons for wanting revenge as much as the being he serves (the mysterious ‘One In Darkness’). While discussing things, the newest addition to the crew – an adventurous and bold woman named Senerah Hoenthal – rushes in to inform the group that Matthias has ignited into flames and perished.

Investigations the next morning turned up that Matthias apparently had flint and tinder that he used to ignite himself on fire without the use of magic. However, suspicion grows as the possibility of evidence being planted during the night while they slept is pointed out. Eyes now turn to Senerah, who was revealed by Void to be the apprentice to an older ally that Void once used to try to subdue the White King, as a possible infiltrator and enemy. Deciding to keep an eye on her, the group decides to drag her along to Haivar. Meanwhile, Void sets out to see if he can track down where Mortekan has wandered off to in hopes of finding answers to the strange Dawn Codex.

On top of all of this, is the ever present concerns about Matisse and Malcolm. Both who have been scarred by their failed bargain with the White King earlier. Matisse remains concerned about the fate of his Mother, who may have become another servant of the White King. Malcolm on the other hand has a more immediate concern. A seed of seething rage has been imbedded into his chest, growing from hate and corrupting his body. His arm has become a grotesque visage of its former self, with exposed flesh and twisted boney spikes growing out of it. The gods have warned them, that Malcolm may not even be human anymore. Just as the Abyss corrupted primordials and elementals into the first demons, Malcolm is becoming a horror never witnessed in the history of the mortal races. The need to find some way to counteract or cure this transformation becomes dire, as Malcolm may soon become just as much of a threat to his friends as he is to their enemies.

Part 1: Are you there Corellon? It's me, Matisse.

I know that you’ve been distant lately, but I’ve always felt your presence before. Even in my darkest despair with my mother’s soul in the balance, I could pray to you and hear you. It may have sounded like a faint echo returned in a cave but your presence was there and I felt your power inside of me.

Now though there is nothing. The closer we have gotten to Felost Peak the more I feel you farther and farther away. It’s like a dampener has been put over your flame.

As we got closer to the peak on our flying boat, we noticed a dragoon of dragons overhead. They were there to guard the peak, but fortunately they are not good at their jobs and were easily paid off with a few magical trinkets.

We were able to rappel onto the peak and go inside the mountain which turned out to be a large temple structure for many various gods. To my horror, the temple has been desecrated. Is this why you are gone from this place?

We had to choose between traveling up or down the mountain and we chose the higher road. We entered a temple room for ? where we had to fight some spider creatures. We were able to defeat them with help from your power but you yourself were still nowhere to be found.

I’ve been quite disturbed by this lately. I know that part of the reason we are at Felost Peak is to release the power of the gods, but what if The White King is right and only the elemental chaos matters anymore? What if the world doesn’t need you anymore Corellon? After all, my mother was brutally tortured and made a slave…if you existed surely you would have helped her, one of your most devoted worshipers?

I am sorry for thinking such blasphemous thoughts my lord. Though it’s not like you can hear them, right? Maybe I’ll enjoy the silence.

Part 1: Excerpts from Malcolm Trinnian

On the Grey Flame:2 days after the collapse of Skypierce Tower

The bar area has been turned into a make shift hospital. Alethia’s is asleep in a bed next to Malcolm’s. Malcolm opens his eyes for the first time since the tower collapsed.
Matthias changes Malcolm’s bandages.

Malcolm (weakly): “How bad is it?”
Matthias: “I almost don’t want to say, Sir.”
Malcolm: “That bad hey. Its okay at this point I think I can handle bad news.”
Mathias: “About half of your body is badly burned. It will be a gruesome scar, if you survive.”
Malcolm: “Then we’ll have another thing in common. He, he, he (weakly)”

*Excerpt from Malcolm’s Journal: *

It has been 7 days since the collapse of Skypierce Tower. Recovery is slow and painful. For a week I couldn’t even open my eyes. I have been th… You will pay for your treachery worse then burning! Your heart is mine! I must have blacked out for a bit. Alethia is in the bed next to me. She is mending much quicker, which is good because I think the smell from my bandages is getting to her. Haffston is no doctor or surgeon. Fortunately his skill at mixing concoctions does wonders for the pain. We are back in Camnir. I thought we were done here. Matisse and Rusty are going to get us a “fighting force” for the ship.

On the Grey Flame:

The night of the Full Moon

Malcolm is in his room.

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
Alethia, Haffston, Qiton, and Matthias rush to the door of Malcolm’s room. It is locked. Qiton tries to smash it down with his massive shoulders but it is like running into solid wall. Malcolm is sealed.
Malcolm finds himself chained to the ground in front of the White King’s throne. “Malcolm. I am disappointed.” As Malcolm raises his head, he sees the White King sitting in front of him, a strange glowing gem surrounded with pulsing flesh wrapping around it like a net. “For a thief, your ability’s are fairly lackluster aren’t they?”

The White King stands and descends down the staircase, "I promised you eternal suffering for you and those around you, didn’t I? Your friends? Loved ones? All will suffer for your choice.”

“Choice, so that’s what you call it. Choice like when you hold a friend’s mother hostage,” Malcolm says wincing in pain.

“Oh he had his choice too. But first and foremost…" the White King shoves the frightening looking gem straight into now Malcolm’s chest. As the crystal embeds itself deep in Malcolm’s chest, he can feel it grow and expand inside him; a painful heat grows across his insights. “Your suffering will continue, Malcolm. Your body will decay. You will wish for death but it will not come. You will become a monster, feared by all, and you will bring pain to those around you.”

As the White King speaks, Malcolm’s face contorts with pain as the seed grows and then turns his insights into in the icy chill before turning in a stabbing pain which grows back into burning sensation.

Alethia holds a fire ball ready to throw it at the door, but Qiton busts through the door, ripping it off its hinges. They find Malcolm on the floor bleeding. Mathias picks him up and places him back in his bed while Malcolm mutters “White King” in his sleep.

The next day

Malcolm wakes up to find Alethia in the corner of the room watching him intently. “Nice to see I have company.”

“More like making sure your room stays open and you don’t have another episode."

“I wanted to ask you last night but you lost a lot of blood. Qiton told me to wait till morning to ask you. What the hell happened last night?”

Malcolm tries remembering. An image of the White King flashes like lightning across his mind. The rest is jumbled like it was scratched away and it burns his mind. Malcolm winces, “I don’t remember, but it has something to do with the White King.” Malcolm rubs his chest. Malcolm starts unwrapping the bandages from his chest. “Might as well not hide it from a wizard.” A black star-like scar covers the middle of his chest. “I guess this is what I get for talking with strangers.” Malcolm forces a smile to try and lighten the mood but fails to change Alethia’s concern

“This isn’t good. We should tell the other’s soon.” Alethia gets up from her chair.

Malcolm holds out his hand “Don’t!”

“What?”
“Don’t tell the others.”
She looks at him with concerned annoyance. “Okay?”

“Malcolm continues. “If I change and start acting…different, you end me. You got me?”
“Got it.”
“A little more hesitancy would be nice,” Malcolm responds.

“What am I supposed to say, you made a deal with the bad guy that screwed us over.”
“I did it to save Matisse. When you see a friend play a hand with the devil, sometimes you have to join the table to pull them out.”

“A noble thief,” Alethia says a bit sarcastically.

“You’ll kill me before I turn. Last thing I want is to become his slave. I will not fail you guys again.”

Alethia nods her head and leaves.

*Excerpt from Malcolm’s Journal: *

The ship is filled with the people Rusty and Matisse managed to round up. There’s hardly any room or privacy. Let’s just hope they can put up a good fight. If we loose the ship or my ass gets left with orcs…Your sole will burn as the seed of anger grows…I started training a few of them, seams like there getting the hang of it. The rot has expanded unnaturally fast. In the weeks spent recovering and getting more ship hands, There is more rot than land it seems, like a black ocean that has swallowed the land. We make haste towards the city of Falston. I have a bad feeling as if we might be too late.

The City of Falston

We arrived to find the city in ruins. The three orc armies have taken the Western half of the City. The human forces have been driven up north and I doubt they’ll be able to hold this patch for long even with our air ship’s cannon. Hope looks bleak. Today we saved Lord Warden Mathis Ferro’s daughter, Captain Ophelia Ferro. She was with a search and recovery party that got kidnapped in Fortune Square, which has been taken over by the rot. We saved her and her and what was left of her squad. They were impressed with our skills and even got a new companion. Her name is Senerah Hoenthal. She is very attractive. And a duel wielder. She’s even into the same music I am. I’d love to talk blades with her and examine her… qualities. Rusty doesn’t trust her. That’s fine. I don’t mind another less numbers in the equations means easier for me right. I mean man she is gorgeous, her nice as…

Knock. Knock.

“It’s Senerah.”
Malcolm quickly puts his journal away. “Come in.”

“Some members of your crew said you wanted to see me.”

Malcolm puts his arms behind his head and stretches while leaning back in his chair trying to act suave, but stumbles almost out of his chair but manages to catch himself.

Senerah eyes him for a bit.
Malcolm regains his composure “Yes, Um. How are you liking the ship?”

“It’s fine, never been on one that flies before. Qiton even showed me his canon. It’s really big.”

“So you like the ships cannon. I can fire it you know.” Malcolm messages his bicep.

“Oh him, He still doesn’t trust me. Don’t worry about him. I am sure once he sees you in combat you’ll change his mind.”

“Thanks. So tomorrow we make our move on Temple of the Sun.”

“That’s right. Ophelia’s troops will strike and then we sneak up and make our stabby, stab, stab and get home for dinner.”

Senerah gives Malcolm the eye one last time. “Well, its late and I should probably head to bed you know for the ‘stabby, stab, stab” in the morning.” She heads out the door, but peaks her head back in, “Thanks again for letting me join your crew. I won’t let you down. Good night.” She heads out shyly.

After gaining the support and allegiance of the now free Camnir, our adventurous group of heroes returned to their ship, The Gray Flame, to meet with the man called Void. Upon arriving they found most of the crew to be frozen in some kind of living shadow, and Void sitting at the bar with a half empty bottle in his hand.

Void confronted Matisse and Malcolm about their dealings with The White King explaining that their ‘deals’ had forever scarred their souls, giving them the stink of the Abyss (although not all can detect it). Void also revealed that Mortekan had vanished from his prison in Magekeep Tower and that the dwarves of the Eyes of Ioun and pretty much all life in the area had vanished as well. With the pieces starting the fall apart in front of him, Void was obviously not dealing well.

Void spoke with Rusty about wanting the see the book, the Dawn Codex, which revealed that the more the party learns of the Dawn’s plans, the more they can read from the book. Malcolm and Matisse also found that the mere sight of the book was enough to drive them to pain now. After exchanging what everyone had learned, Void set off looking to investigate who the mysterious man who wandered into Stormwall that fateful night was and trying to see if he could find anything about the Army of 333.

With that bit of business done, the group decided to continue to follow Mortekan’s original plans, and headed to the nearby Skypierce Tower. When they arrived, the noticed there was no door. However, as Alethia stepped up to wall, a door magically appeared. Upon entering the tower, they were greeted by a sentient crystaline construct calling itself Yggnrl (Pron: Yigg-Nerl). It explained that Skypierce Tower is both the largest library of knowledge dating back to the founding of the Nerathi Empire, and a kind of bank for powerful magical artifacts. Yggnrl also explained that Alethia’s father had left her his own Lesser Vault on one of the higher floors.

After a short argument of semantics and permissions, the party went to investigate Alethia’s vault. Finding skeletons littering the place, they asked Yggnrl what had happened. It explained that some time ago, a man dressed in white attempted to break into one of the Greater Arcane Vaults to steal something. While the man was not successful in his attempt, he did escape as the rest of the tower was ‘purged’ from life and locked down for a number of years.

Yggnrl opened Alethia’s vault for her, inside of which they found a Handy Haversack magical backpack which contained two items. A Fire Wand for Alethia, and her father’s old notebook. Then they heard someone else entering the tower. Yggnrl excused itself and dissolved into a puddle. Deciding to investigate, the group wandered back to the central chamber. However, on their way they spotted an open vault with a large focusing crystal in it! The very thing Qiton said he needed to fix the ship’s cannon! Quickly they grabbed it and shoved it into Alethia’s new backpack. But in doing so they triggered the alarm and activated the tower’s defenses.

The party squared off against some Iron Defenders, a gargoyle, and a small Beholder before being able to peak over the edge and see that the man who had just entered the tower was dressed in a large hooded white coat decorated with red flame designs – Baern. After Yggnrl helped Baern to the top floor Arcane Vault, it returned to confront the heroes about their theft. However, Malcolm – ever blessed with a silver tongue – was able to convince the construct that they indeed had permission from the Xenestrian craftsman who owned the vault to ‘procure’ the gem they took. Yggnrl, convinced by the lie, asked them if they’re business was complete. They group said they liked to look at the library, so Yggnrl escorted them back to the first floor and locked their access to the bottom floors where the library was located.

The party immediately jumped into a plan to try to get Yggnrl to turn on Baern. Asking it a number of questions about whether of not the Dawn Knight should be prodding about in the vault. Ultimately, the convinced Yggnrl to allow them up into the Vault by asking to deposit the Dawn Codex into it for safe keeping. However, once inside the top floor Arcane Vault, they found Baern not entirely interested in their presence. Instead, he was looking for a Devilblade, a living gauntlet that can conjure a devilish sword out of thin air. While Baern wasn’t looking, the party as grabbed the Abyssal Gem that they had originally come here to find.

However, this didn’t go unnoticed by Baern. Who sadly told them that he knew what they just grabbed, he knew what they were doing, and if they didn’t stop, he’d be forced to kill them. Something he really didn’t care to do (As he mentioned that ‘killing them’ was more of Ataqir and Zavris’ thing). However, the group remained steadfast and with a frown on his face, Baern took his newfound Devilblade and shattered Yggnrl, triggering the tower’s defensive ‘purge’ mechanism. As deadly gas began to flood the tower, the group searched the vault quickly for anything they could use to help. Matisse found a small magical charm, Malcolm acquired some magical boots, and Rusty oddly found another red crystal, this one with what appeared to be silver veins running through it, sealed in a glass tube. When discovering that despite his best efforts, Rusty couldn’t remove it from the vault (despite the fact that everything else seemed removal-able) he abandoned it and stepped out to face Baern.

The battle appeared to be fairly one sided. The group easily beat back Baern as he attempted to cut the vault loose. However, Rusty noticed the more injured he became, the colors on his coat started to invert. Red on white slowly became white designs on a red coat. When the colors finished changing, Baern’s fire form was unleashed. He launched a group of fire bats at his opposition as he dueled Rusty with his Devilbalde. Though the fire bats make quick work of the ranged group members, they continued to try and talk Baern down from killing them. That he should just walk away. Finally, Rusty convinces him to just leave. Which Baern did. Leaping down the tower and igniting the rising gas into a giant fireball.

With their doom quickly rising up the tower, the heroes scrambled to try and find some way to avoid death. Trying to hide inside the suspended Arcane Vault, they almost all made it. Except for Matisse who became stranded on the outside of the tower. Malcolm, trying to lasso the eladrin into the vault, only managed to snag the corner of the massive cube and caused to start to spin (already made semi-loose by Baern earlier). Matisse was thrown off on to the ledge and knocked unconscious by the impact as the cube snapped off its suspension and began to plummet downwards into the giant flaming pillar…

The heroes awoke 20 hours later by Haffston, Qiton and Matthias. Badly injured and beaten, the heroes were brought out of the now charred and ruined tower and back to the Gray Flame. Rusty had a broken arm, Matisse had a minor concussion and some bruising, Alethia had some bruised ribs, and Malcolm – who was swinging out the door as the vault plummeted – suffered large burns across the entire side of his body.

Now recovering on the ship, they decided to return to Camnir and hire a full crew, with the Full Moon approaching and their time drawing short, the heroes began to fly towards the city of Falston, in hopes of aiding them against the Orc Invasion from Solshann…